Give Up
by Ride on silver wings
Summary: How could she just give up? How could she? She's Maximum! Maximum Ride! She wouldn't do anything crazy, would she? She woudn't hurt herself... Would she? Angsty! Character Death! OneShot!


I'm in a crappy mood... So I made this... Cause it's kinda how I feel, but it's one of those feelings you can't entirely explain. I don't think this is a good one-shot. Tell me what you think, though.

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**Give up**

**Summery:**

How could she just give up? How could she? She's Maximum! Maximum Ride! She wouldn't do anything, would she? She woudn't hurt herself...

Would she?

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I don't own Maximum Ride. Go get yourself some cookies and hot chocolate before reading. It may help you feel better... And bring me some too.

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"I give up" 

He looked at the once strong leader of the flock, the blond-haired angel come to earth, his childhood lover, fall to her knees in defeat. She looked up at him with a face so foreign now, it almost scared him. Her eyes were empty, listless of its old energy and warmth. The determination fueled by such feelings. Gone.

What he saw before him wrenched at his heart, revealing within him two separate and very disturbing emotions. A part of him wanted to cradle the fallen leader, hold her against himself and tell her "everything will be all right". Another part of him looked upon her with repulsion. A feeling that scared him more than what he had just heard.

Max looked up at him again, her face grim, dark patches under both eyes as she leaned against the wall for support. "I give up, Fang." She closed her eyes and looked away from him. Tears were brimming under her lids, threatening to fall.

He couldn't move. He didn't know what to say, what to do. Something turned off in him, leaving him cold and empty.

The rest of the flock was having a night on the town. Iggy was in charge. They asked if the two wanted to come, but Max said she wasn't feeling up to it that night. Fang never wanted to go to on such frivolous outings.

Now he regretted never going. He should have made Max and himself go. Maybe this wouldn't be happening if he had!

Finally, the time seemed to return to the world. He let out a shaky breath. When had he been holding his breath? He looked down at Max, at what was left of Max, and asked, "What do you mean?"

She looked up at him again, her chapped lips stretched as she tried to frown and explain and laugh and cry at the same time. All she managed to do was move her lips a few times and let out a hoarse cry. What she couldn't explain was the emptiness she felt inside. The complete and utter coldness of not fitting in anywhere, of never being able to belong. No matter how hard she tried.

The long years of battles and constant tests had won.

Maximum Ride lost.

Trying again, Max looked at the ground and heaved an aching sigh. "I don't want to go on like this. I can't. I won't." Fang could see Max's lips moving, he could see her motioning, shaking her head, and looking at him sometimes, but he couldn't hear her words. Not until, "I give up. I just give up Fang."

"You can't give up!" He walked towards her, his hands outstretched to grip her shoulders. "You're Maximum Ride! You can do anything! You're better than this!"

She felt his hands on her shoulders. She felt him shake her slightly. She could almost feel the fear and anger radiate from him when he leaned closer.

But all the touches did was remind she was alive. And she hated it.

Leaning forward, she regretfully said, "I wish you would have gone with them, Fang. I really do." She didn't need to say anymore for Fang to understand.

Something hard and calloused collided with her cheek so hard and fast she wasn't sure what happened there for a few seconds. The world seemed a blur, her senses tingling, until she shook her head a bit and felt the burning mark on her cheek. She stared at the floor between Fang's feet. Her face hidden under a scarlet mask of humiliation.

Fang looked down at her, his dark eyes cold. Betrayed. He looked away from her. What he heard Max utter was totally pointless. Disgusting even, to say in the least. He didn't regret slapping her. It was a pussy way of handling things, but something had to be done. Punching her didn't seem the right thing to do.

When his heart settled to a more normal beat, he looked down at her and said, "I remember you telling Nudge once that this was another brand new day. And that she had to get up and face it." He knelt again, taking her chin in his hand and made her face him. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. "How about you get up and face it? We're all here for you. You're not alone."

"Yes I am!" she screamed at him. Her heart began to race. "I _am _alone! But _you_ can't see it can you?" He didn't even flinch at the scorn dripping from her words. "You _never_ see it! _None_ of you do! This isn't a _perfect_ world, you know. People will _never _accept us. No matter what. So why don't I just do the world a _huge favor _by _leaving it_? One more face dropped off the earth won't matter much."

"You are a stupid dumb ass, you know that?" He felt a bit guilty for using such harsh names, but it had to be done. "Do you honestly think you're the only one in the world who feels that way?"

"I'm the only one in the world who _isn't_ like anyone else in the world!" she protested.

"Human. Bird. Mutant. Doesn't matter. We all feel lonely. We all feel like we don't belong at some point. _You're not the only one_." He tried to be gentle. He didn't want her to hate him for life. "And yes, Max, we have noticed you've been lonely and sad. Why the hell do you think Nudge and Angel have always been asking for you to come with them on their little night outs? You're the one who's been closing yourself off."

She continued to stare at him. His words sinking into her like serrated knives.

"The world's been ready for you for a long time now, Max. It hasn't given up on you just yet." With that, he let her chin go and stood. He needed to get some air. He had to. Maybe a quick night flight. Max needed to think things through on her own for a little while. He trusted her enough to sit tight and really think until he got back.

He was gone maybe no longer than an hour and upon his return he found Nudge, Angel, Total, and Gazzy crying on the roof of the small shanty they were hiding in. Iggy was standing by them, his face eerily empty, void of all emotion. He just stood there. The moon's glow starching his face to a ghostly white. Tear streaks glinting ever so slightly.

Fang's heart dropped cold in his chest. Deeper, deeper, into the abyss. He banked sharp and a bit too fast, crash-landing on his knees, a yell already forcing its way passed his lips. "What happened to Max?!"

The flock looked back at him. Their presence cast eerily white by the moon, their faces seeming dead. Gazzy choked out a reply, "Inside. Max…" He couldn't go on. He dropped his head and cried louder.

That was it. Fang dropped from the roof and ran inside. He smelled it in the air. Thick, pungent, and coppery. A metallic spice filled his mouth, thick as syrup. Making him want to gag. He lunged down the hall to the bathroom. The light was on. An arm was laid out on the ground, sticking out of the doorway into the hall.

Max's arm.

The fingertips coated with blood.

He stopped in front of the door, but had to grip the frame to keep from falling forward. A wave of nausea and sorrow hit him all at once as he pushed himself back from the door, hitting the wall, and then sliding to the floor. He was shaking his head, tears blurring his vision as he hit the floor, as he cried out, "No. No. No. No! No! NoNoNoNo! Max!"

Max was lying on her back, wings spread underneath her in a twisted fashion, and her body twisted ever so slightly. As if she had fallen backwards. Blood dribbled from her parted lips, pooling on the floor beside her, an empty pill bottle sitting on the counter, and to his horror, both her wrists were slit. They were ragged, gaping slits. As if she had used either her teeth or nails to make them.

What made him cringe, though. What made him squirm inside was her eyes. They were open still and staring straight at him.

Her pupils were widening, but they were blank. No life left in them. Max was gone.

Then he made the mistake of looking up. He saw the mirror and cried out in a mix-filled roar of sorrow and fury. At himself.

On the mirror, written with her own blood, Max wrote those three haunting words again, "I give up".

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Told you it sucked.

Please review.

Flames and such are welcome.

Go eat a cookie.


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